Celebs Urged to Boycott Sundance Because of Proposition 8

The passing of Proposition 8 has left many people angry and hurt. There have been several protests and rallies in an attempt to overturn the law, which many are calling unconstitutional. The latest rally involves one of the biggest celebrity-studded events of the year: Sundance. Gay rights campaigners are pleading with Hollywood stars to boycott the upcoming Sundance festival, because one of the event’s backers is in favor of California’s gay marriage ban.

Cinemark Theaters boss Alan Stark is a Mormon who owns several of Sundance’s event venues. He made a personal $9900 donation to support Prop. 8 to outlaw gay marriage. AmericaBlog.com editor John Aravosis tells the New York Daily News, "If you go to Utah, you're funding hate. Just moving movies around is not enough. Money from this festival is funneled directly to the Mormon Church and to a supporter of Proposition 8. Sunshine should simply say they won't screen films in a hate theatre."

A Sundance Institute spokesperson says, "(The festival) has a long history and in fact was founded on the idea of championing diversity. It is our hope that people will embrace the festival for its commitment to diversity, not avoid it."

Sounds like Aravosis has a point! But we highly doubt celebs would ever boycott Sundance. It’s one of the biggest parties of the year!